title: Surface-functionalized gold nanoparticles mediate bacterial transformation: a nanobiotechnological approach.
abstract: Transformation of bacteria is an important step in molecular biology. Viral and non-virus-based gene delivery techniques, including chemical/biological and physical approaches, have been applied to bacterial, mammalian and plant cells. E. coli is not competent to take up DNA; hence, different methods are used to incorporate plasmid DNA. A novel method has been developed using glutathione-functionalized gold nanoparticles to mediate transformation of plasmid DNA (pUC19) into E. coli DH5α that does not require the preparation of competent cells. The glutathione-functionalized gold nanoparticles acted as a vector and facilitated the entry of DNA into the host cell. The method also gave a higher transformation efficiency (4.2 × 10(7)/μg DNA) compared to 2.3 × 10(5)/μg DNA using the conventional CaCl2-mediated method. It was also non-toxic to the bacterium making it suitable for biotechnological applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Kalyani, Calcutta, West Bengal, India, saptarshi_gcc07@yahoo.co.in.
authors.forename: Saptarshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chatterjee
authors.forename: Keka
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sarkar
mesh_terms: D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D005827:Genetics, Microbial / Q000379:methods*; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D006046:Gold; D053758:Nanoparticles; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D010957:Plasmids; D014169:Transformation, Bacterial
chemical_list: D006046:Gold; D005978:Glutathione